Page 102 of The Omega's Alpha
The food was good.Sogood. Between Mercy Hills and Green Moon, we had more food than we could really all eat in one go, and all of it the best that could be offered. Still, it was the mating of the Alpha, and we were hosting a lot of humans—more would be better. Wouldn’t want to be a bad host.
Since we were skipping the ravishment—at least until later—I took Agatha with me to find thebratvukand the people who were looking after the food. Most of the dishes were things that would keep, and there was little that wasn’t already ready and waiting in the main pack building to be brought out, so it only took a moment to let people know of the change in plans. In the meantime, I took Agatha around to meet the various humans who had come in the President’s train, keenly aware of the photographer and Belinda’s cameras following me. I hadn’t noticed them once we’d started the ceremony, though I expected they’d been taking pictures through the entire thing.
I ran into Duke and Peter, joking with each other at the edge of the clearing, but still obviously watching for trouble. “We’re going to eat now,” I told them.
Peter raised his eyebrows, but Duke just nodded. “I’ll go find Bram. I think he and Jason are running the show on that.”
“It’s okay, I already let them know. I have to go play the good host.”
“Better you than me.” Peter glanced around. “I don’t like the idea of having the humans here.” Duke elbowed him and he had the grace to look ashamed. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded—I know the Alpha has human friends.”
“As do I.” I nodded to the two of them and strolled back toward the fire.
Someone had already broken into the kegs of beer and cider and the party had begun, even without the food. Cas found me and pressed a cup of fruit juice into my hand and handed a can of soda to Agatha, then winked and disappeared.
I glared after him. He knew the pups weren’t allowed to have soda.Too late.I sighed and said to Agatha, “Want to go see if we can find your friends to play with?”
“Yeah,” she said and tipped her drink up to her mouth.
I sighed again, and set off in search of her puppy friends.
Quin caught up with me just after I dropped Agatha off with her friend Clara and Clara’s parents, one of the Green Moon families.
“They’re bringing the food out. They’ve co-opted everyone who isn’t already busy to carry everything.”
I laughed and draped my arms around his neck. “Not surprising, since it’s Jason and Bram.” I lost myself in a kiss for a long moment, wrapping myself up in him as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. It was strange, how different this mating felt from our first one. I didn’t really feel more mated, but I felt…different.
Eventually the kiss had to end, and I indulged my omega side and cuddled into Quin’s embrace as we walked back toward the bonfire and the feast awaiting us. He was warm and smelled delicious.
His voice rumbled into the night air. “I thought that we’d take the human President up to fill plates with us, then let therozvennyaandbratvukget theirs.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. He’s very important to them and it would be a sign of respect.” He stopped and turned me toward him. “You understand how important this could be for us, right?”
“Of course.” I did, though we’d never really talked about it, and Quin only ever told the occasional story about the humans he’s once spent so much time with. “You think you can use this to help us.”
He looked down at the ground, then back up. “I think, if he’s here, then he’s halfway to being on our side. I also think this is one step, the first most important one, toward bringing the walls down. I think he could do it, and soon.”
I breathed in sharply and stared at him.
“Are you with me in this?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Oh, yes.” My hand went to my belly, and I imagined a different life for it and for Agatha and Dorian, a life where they could travel freely, where they would have choices. “Oh, Lysoonka, Quin, yes. Whatever you need.” And I kissed him, because words were too small to contain everything I felt in that moment.
He chuckles as our lips parted. “I should declare my intentions to shake up the pack structure more often.”
I punched him not so gently in the gut and he laughed at me, because he was still in as good a shape as he’d been in the navy and my fist basically bounced off him without a speck of harm.
“Here, I won’t be any good to you tonight all bruised up,” he said, grabbing for my wrists.
I evaded him and danced back. “Now, don’t get too cocky. We have a mating feast to attend.” I shot him a superior look and slipped away into the crowd of laughing shifters.
He caught up to me a few paces later, and pulled me in under his arm. “Let’s go feed the president, then.”
We walked through the crowd, accepting congratulations from everyone we passed, nodding to the human security who were scattered about the clearing. We found Bax still chatting with the President and his wife, but he smiled and ducked away, off to search for Abel, I assumed.
“Mr. President,” Quin said, and held out his hand.
